


Love of Many Kinds

by AwkwardDuckProducktions



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Post episode 75, Ron is a guardian angel, Sammy being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardDuckProducktions/pseuds/AwkwardDuckProducktions
Summary: Like super post my series, but sammy is an angry man, said a few choice things, left the apartment in the middle of January with no coat and no car (as ben hid his keys because whoops) and is sitting outside on the dock stowing in his own anger. And there's one person for that job.And he just opened shop.





	Love of Many Kinds

**Benny Boy** 02:13 am  
Hey Ron.

 **Man's Man's Man** 02:14 am  
Ben! Nice to hear from you! To what I owe the pleasure?"

 **Benny Boy** 02:20 am  
I think Sammy is headed to you.

Ron had just flipped the sign when he noticed the man on his dock. His silhouette illuminated by the moon reflecting on the lake. Far too late in winter, but there he sat, feet nearly touching the icy waters from the pier. A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed the lack of any sort of coat on Sammy. He slipped on his own coat and grabbed a sweater from behind the counter and made his way down to the dock.

"Mind if I join you, Sammy?" Ron asked as he dropped on the edge of the dock.  
Sammy gave a half hearted grunt in response.  
"I brought a sweater in case you get cold." His eyes refused to tear themselves away from the full moon's glory."Moon's nice tonight." Sammy didn't even acknowledge him. A brick wall would make for a better conversation. Ron pressed on anyway. "Reminds me of the time Ben first came here."  
He caught the hint of an eye roll. He continued,"Him and his momma just moved here and he was starting... fourth grade? I want to say fourth but it might have been third. On a night such like this one, as I was opening up the shop I see this scrawny boy stripping on my dock. Now I am not a children's doctor but I can guess that nearly freezing waters vs a tiny kid in his briefs was going to be a short fight. So I rushed out and asked what's he doing. He said with that determination he still has today 'I'm going to bring Kingsie's head to Show and Tell.'  
"So I say, 'now why would you want to do that? She keeps our town safe.' And he just rambled on about 'proving himself' and 'having to provide.' Again, this is grade school Ben. Smaller than he is now. Talking all big about 'being the man of his family.'--"  
"Is this a 'Stop acting like a child and let your best friend motherhen you' story? Because if it is, I'm leaving." Sammy continued to stare at the moon. Ron gave a deep rumbling laugh. His hard frown lessen but Sammy refused to join.  
"It's not. You're Betty." He scoffed at the notion. "She wasn't always put together, you know. First year here was hard on her. She had a 9 year old son. A 9 year old with a dangerous amount of determination. And if you let me finish my story, you would have heard of Betty, hair falling out of her rollers, half asleep half wired. How I invited her inside for hot chocolate. And how she got to a place where she felt like she could relax. " Long nights he spent listening to her, holding her hand across the kitchen table. Those were some of his favorites. She was so young and alone. But each time he watched her grow more trusting and more open with him and the town. And he saw that same tired look in Sammy eyes he saw in hers all those nights ago. "You got this idea stuck in your head that this is something only you can do, a battle only you can fight. And that's not true. You got Ben and Emily and Lily-"  
"-She just wants her brother back." He curled into himself as a harsh wind raced by.  
"That's the biggest load of horseshit I've heard. She loves you."  
"Does she though? Cause it feels like nothing I do is good enough for her." A sigh wheezed out of him as he dragged the large sweater to his lap.  
"Sammy, I picked her up from jail nearly every week while you were gone. She would just slide into my car, tired from fighting all night and you know what she would say each time?"  
"Why did I quit smoking?" He tried to laugh at his own joke, but found it near impossible.  
"No, she would say 'take me to him' each and every time." At that, Sammy finally looked at Ron, hoping to find a hint of a lie. "She loves you, Sammy. She just struggles with showing it. I don't know what rattles in her head all day, but I do know that seeing you in the hospital and not knowing if you were going to make it broke her." It was Ron's turn to sigh, hands fumbling in his lap. "Broke a lot of people."  
"Well I'm sorry, alright!" Sammy shouted back. "I'm sorry that I'm so fucking selfish! I'm sorry that I fucking can't risk being sent off to some looney bin!"  
"Sammy Stevens, you know damn well that's not what I'm looking for." Even in the moon's light, Sammy could see the hurt hidden in those words. Taking a moment to collect himself, Ron figured and continued. "Want it or not, but this town is your family. This backward ass crazy town is your family. They still believe that all a person needs is family. We aren't waiting for you to relapse. We're making sure you never feel that way again. We-" A lump in his throat he hasn't felt in years choked Ron. Those nights with Betty aren't always picture perfect and seeing Sammy, his hair loose from his signature bun and eyes red with tears of countless nights, to see him shrink and explode brought it all back. "We love you, Sammy. And we don't want to ever lose you. We want to help you. So help us help you. Let us carry some of the load." On better days, he would have asked but Ron pulled Sammy into a side hug faster than he could have protested. And despite everything, Sammy didn't try to fight it. "You're family. And when we get him out, he'll be welcomed with open arms." A soft huff a laugh morphed into recognizable shudders as Sammy lost to the tears. Ron's own breath stuttered, forced to remember those months the whole town held its breath waiting for a sign that he was coming back. "Do you want to come in for some hot chocolate?"  
"Yeah..." Voice soft and tired but willing. Willing to come home. And willing to try.


End file.
